Dear Chairman Portman and Ranking Member Peters:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas for Secretary of Homeland Security.
Qualified, experienced leadership at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is critical to address the ongoing pandemic response and the mounting cyber and physical threats to American critical infrastructure, government agencies, and democratic institutions. Mayorkas has a strong background in national security, cybersecurity, emergency management, immigration, and law enforcement issues, an extensive knowledge of DHS, and a proven track record of collaborating across all levels of government and with the private sector.
As deputy secretary, Mayorkas worked with a broad range of stakeholders to increase awareness of the importance of cybersecurity to America’s small and mid-size businesses. He was a champion for improved cyber threat information sharing, which helping to usher in the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015. Expansion of initiatives such as these—and others—to improve government-private collaboration and intelligence sharing will be essential going forward. He was also a key resource for the business community during his tenure as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
As Secretary, Mayorkas would on day one be a seasoned contributor to the Biden administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As deputy secretary, he led the Department’s efforts responding to the 2013-2014 Ebola virus and the 2015-2016 Zika virus epidemics.
Thank you for scheduling the January 19 hearing on the nomination and for continuing the Committee’s strong track record of bipartisan, expeditious action on national security nominees. The Chamber strongly supports the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas.
Sincerely,
Suzanne P. Clark
